Separable cuff link-button.



PATENTBD APR. 21 1908.

P. P. BARNEY. SEPARABLE CUFF LINK BUTTON.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 26, 1907 //vvE/vTc1R,

rdmkYXsobcne 'rwsssss;

m me STA E 'ig f itii'j' FI FRANK i ..'BAii'i\nr,-oia (H.i'1tI-LEY,MASSACHUSETTS, assiouos or ONE-HALF 'ro ciiii RLES i ii; Lyons, or MANSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

I sE PARABLn CUFF rename.

To all 'UIIOIIL it may concern:

Be itknown that. l, FILS'N'K RBARNn'Y', a

citizen of the'Uiii'ted States of America, and

"a resident ol' Cl'iartley, in the county of Bris which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to eui'l' link-buttons and more particularly t .i.-separiible' buttons ofsuclri-lass, and iteonsists, essentially, a

pair of independent button-front .or head lllfilllbkllb proper each having a flat shank 01" post and a flanged back head. substantially rigid .th'eri-rwith, and 'a swinging springpressed rotatable central "link or tongue mounted in one-olsaid front heads and extending longitudinally through ts shank and back head and being de-taclnihly-connected in aiyielding orilexiblemanner with the back head of the'other button member, all as more fully hQlQlllflftGl set forth and claimed.

The object 1 have inview is to produce a separable eufl' link-button having each but ton head mei'nber-thereof eapahle of being read ly mounted and retained in the respective buttonholes of the euihand having said head .inenibe'rs adapted to he quickly andeasily connected and dlSQOIlIIGCtQd at will.

The connecting medium ordevi'ce'also per mitting the buttons to change their position with res peet to eaehother in a direction longitudinally ol' the butt-onholes of the solderless, not liable to get out of order or be come inoperative, 'flexibleas before stated, 1 and may be iiiade inn-11y style of designer oi'nainentation.to which articles of this class My improvedcuff-button is strong, simple, comparatively inexpensive to inan'ulacture,

are adapted. It may be added that the construetioiiaiid arrangement or the-members eompr'ismg iny improved ruff-button are such that it -1nay be' readily inserted in 'the' i-ufl'. and the parts connected or united, and

-- as readily disrom'ieeted, by. the useiiand even while the latter is Wearing the garinent, oi"' shirt, and this, too, without-tint liability ol dropping the-parts .or.accidentally.diseoib iieetiiig and possibly'losing them, .hi the. accompanying sheet ol (Ira-win l i'gure 1 represents a plan or top View of iiiy improved cuii-hutton normally mounted in 'ii' oul-l', tlieends of the latter only being indi- .eaie ilf Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central seetionalviewcf the device in partial side el'ex'ra-- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed Jilly 25, 1907. Serial Nb. 386,405.

Patented April 21, 1908.

- tion, the parts/being in the normally locked position, and iii-enlargedscale. Fig. 3 is a corresponding plan view, partly in section, and a so corresponding with Fig. 1'. big. 4

is a transverse sectional View taken on line- 4 4 of hi" 3' Fig. 5 is a partial section, greatly enlarged, taken-online a: :r of Fig; 2. Fig. (5 shows a front elevation oi" the back plate or disk 'ol'the button' head.

shank or post is formed. Eggs. 8, 9 and '10 represent viewsjof a'pair of said blanks when properly bent to'form the shank, and ig 11 is a partial longitudinal section, correspond ing, with Fig. '3, showing a slight modification in the form ofthe coupling link.

In my improved separable cuif-link-button A represented herewith and forming the subject of this invention B and'B designate the two main or front heads or buttons pro per,l) the shank members secured thereto, and r the tongue or couplin link, all made of suitable sheet metal sto'c The shanks I) of the two button members may be alike.

In the drawings-'1 have represented the shank'oi' the button B asdiil'eri-ng slightly from that of the fellowbutton BL That is to say, in the formerapair of the blanks,' as 'shownin Fig. 7 are bent and passed through the-central slotted .openingc of the usual back disk or plate 0 until arrested by the base part u, of the shank; the shank portions proper, n then lying fiatwise u 011 each other, as shown in Figs. 2 and oval-shaped flange 0, having an elongated central opening a extending parallel with and widthw se ofi the shank. Said flange is preferably covered with thin stock bentto, a

the flan e a while at the same time permitting a sight lateral separation of the latter if desired. That is to say,.the'portions' a of the shank, assuming the stock to be somewhat resilient,' .is adapted to yield or open upon pressing the spear-headend r of the linkr (Fig. 11) cndwise through the said opening .e", the, sides sirin ing I together again after the parts are t us oosely locked together.

Fig.7 re}p resents one of the lllanks from which t e he outer or free end of the shankzte'rininates in an -9 l-he base enda of the shank of button B 'lias acii'eul'ar opening a euttherethrough, the adjacent ends a ed to prevent the head 'r of the link, when the latter is turned axially about 90 from the normal or locked position, from dropping out, the central opening a between the shoulders being large enough to freely permit said movement of the link.

The coupling member or link 1* is, as drawn, substantially square cross-sectionally, one end terminating in a cross-bar 1", thus forming a T, and having the opposite end 1' provided with short lateral projections adapted in use to hook under the adjacent portions of said flange a of the shank .D, as clearly shownin Fig. 2. I prefer to make the two opposite sides of the bar 1 slightly curved or beveled, and having a portion of the. plate 0 correspondingly recessed, as indicated more clearly at c in Figs. 5 and 6. A thin disk-like spring-plate dis also secured in the button members, the same being mounted so as to bear in a yielding manner at all times against the surfaces of the adjacent bases 0. a and the bar 1".

From the foregoing description it is obvious that as drawn the link 1 mpst be rotated axially in order to lock and unlock it after its free end 1" has been )assed through the openings 8 a of the shan of the corresponding button member B. To facilitate such movement of the link the latter is provided with a suitable fixed enlargement or arm, as Z, adapted to be readily manipulated by the fingers'pf the user. Assuming now the button to be separated, the wearer first introducesthe shoe and contiguous shank portions of the two main members, B, B,

through the respective buttonholes of the cufiis ends m 'm, the projecting portion of the link 1' of the front button, B, obviousl being inserted through the correspondin uttonhole at the same time, the arm Z t ien lying horizontally, i. e. in the dotted line position indicated n Fig. 1 the two parts of the cufl are then brought nearer together sidewise, the end r of the link at the same time freely entering and passing through the openings sfa of the shoe and shank, after which the link is turned 90,at which instant the T- head r thereof snaps into the recess a, thereby hooking the said proections of the end 1" under the flange a of t e shank of the cor- 1 responding button B the position and rela .tion of the parts then being substantially as represented in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

It may be added that the length of the arm Lor other analo ous member of the link need not exceed the ength of the buttonhole, and at the same time be quite small and light, since a comparatively slight pressure is suftl'icient to turn thelink or coupling member from the locked ,to the unlocked position, and

vice .versa My; roved cuff-button is .liexible, that is the ho is adapted to swing in ton us or lin revolubl of the stock' either direction (see arrows, Fig. 3) within (Figs 8, 9) forming shoulders or steps adaptthe limits of the openings 8 a. while the button members B B are locked or coupled together; conversely, the button members themselves are capable of movement in the buttonholes of the cull, the latter itself being flexible and movable within lixcd limits wit h res ect to the button. '1 he shank or post of eac button is bifurcated and adapted to spring apart laterally to permit the entrance of the links enlarged free end, and inpecially if the latter be made spear-shaped, as indicated at 1, Fig. 11. It is clear that the two main parts of the button cannot become disconnected unless the link be first turned axially about 90", thereby placing the widest art of the end, 1* or 1*, in alinement with the ongitudinal axis of the shank opening a Of course the same result may be attained by simply turning one or the other of the button members B B 90, but this action is obviously impracticable when they are mounted in the buttonholes of the starched cuff.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by United States Letters Patentz- 1. As an improved article of manufacture a separable emf-link button, the same comprising a pair of independent button members each provided with a fixed shank terminating in a lateral flange or enlargement adapted to pass through a buttonhole of the cuff and retain said member therein, a swinging coupling member or link mounted in one of the button members and extending lon itudinally beyond its flange, and having tie free endof said link constructed to enga c with the fellow-button member for detaclably securing them together.

2. In an article of the character described, the combination of a pair of main button members, each having a bifurcated laterally yielding shank terminating in a suitably capped and a ertured flange, aspring-pressed mounted in one of sai buttons and exten ng outwardly therefrom through its shank, and having the free end of the hnk enlarged and ada ted to ass freely through the flange of the s ank o the other button and hook thereunder, substantially as described.

3. In an article of the character described, the combination with a pair of oppositely disposed main button members, each provided i the combination with the buttons B B havwith the plane of the buttonholesof the coil, ing flat resilient shanks provided with aperl whereby the link is adapted to swing a limitturedoepped ends, of e spring res sed rotaed distance therein, substantially as deteble link mounted in one of sai buttons and l scribed and for the purpose set forth. 5 extending through its shank and arranged to Signed at Providence, R. 1., this 23d day 5 he deteel'iehly connected with the shank of of July, 1907. the other button, means for holding the link FRANK P. BARN 151'. in the normally locked position, and having Witnesses: the opening in said shanks elongated inthe Geo. H. REMINGTON,

plane of its width, corresponding when in use CHARLES C. REM NG-TON. 

